The B-Horror Blog – Desert Island Films

 

James from The B-Horror Blog has kindly submitted his Desert Island Films. Read on for his choices and reasons, and be sure to check out his site.

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Desert Island Films is about choosing 8 films you would take if you were going to be stranded on a desert island and explaining your choices. They don’t necessarily have to be your favourites, just 8 films, no more or no less! You are also permitted to take one book and one novelty item which must be inanimate and of no use in escaping the island or allowing communication from outside.

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The B-Horror Blog – Desert Island Films:

1.) Halloween. The definitive slasher movie. I saw this for the first time when I was in my early teens on a lonesome Halloween night and it absolutely terrified me. Michael Myers still gives me nightmares. For me this defined what a horror movie should be – something that terrifies you to your core. I still whip it out when I’m in the mood for a good scare.

2.) Halloween H20. I know the jury’s still largely out on this one, but I thought it was terrific. By and large I enjoyed most of the movies in this franchise, but this was a real return to form. Jamie Lee Curtis brought Laurie Strode back in a way that was completely believable; after what she went through and after faking her death it’s no wonder she’s now a functioning alcoholic. As a testament to Curtis’ acting, however, the character wasn’t irritating or overbearing – in true scream queen fashion, when the time calls for it, Laurie’s ready for action. With many movies there’s that one line that makes me truly love it. In this instance, that came when Laurie’s boyfriend, upon seeing Michael, asks “What do we do now?”. Laurie, quite matter of factly, replies “try to live.” I don’t know why, but it just tickled me.

3.) IT. Never trust a clown! This was the first horror movie I ever saw at the tender age of 5. My dad told me I couldn’t, so I just hid behind the couch and watched it anyway. The scene with the photo album that winks and then bleeds utterly terrified me. Thanks to this movie, my intense distrust of clowns continues to this day.

4.) Killer Klowns From Outer Space. Taking said intense distrust of clowns in a totally different direction. I came across this on VHS in the local video store back in the day. Even in my teens I was astounded that someone would make a movie with a title like that, but I fell in love with it on my first screening. When I later discovered the joys of importing DVDs, this was the first thing I ever ordered. Seriously, what’s not to love about extraterrestrial clowns drinking people’s blood after they’ve been wrapped up in cotton candy?

5.) Futurama: Bender’s Game. I’ve always been a little bit fascinated by people who play Dungeons and Dragons. I’ve tried a few times, but just never got into it. Maybe if I’d had Bender there with me it would’ve been more interesting. I discovered Futurama quite late in its run, but this movie for me offers some of the best humour the series has to offer. Who wouldn’t want to see the Professor as a grizzly old wizard? Plus, any plot point that features Nibbler has got my interest – he’s cute/weird enough to make even my heart melt.

6.) The Day After Tomorrow. In addition to my general obsession with horror movies (both good and bad), I’m also quite partial to a really good disaster movie. I particularly liked this one for two reasons: 1.) it had the budget to pull what it was trying to do off (in contrast to things like the Asylum churns out) and 2.) it didn’t have any of the unnecessary melodrama that usually goes hand in hand with this genre. What I also really enjoyed about it was the plausibility – this was a disaster that happened because of what we do to our planet. I’m by no means a Green Peace nut, but I occassionally like a movie that makes me think.

7.) Silent Hill. Whilst the Halloween movies fulfill that intense need I sometimes feel to watch a good slasher, Silent Hill is what I want to see when I’m in the mood for twisted horror. What I liked about this movie is that it’s actually quite clever and it made me pay attention to try and figure out what was going on (I’ve never played the games, so maybe it wouldn’t have been as effective if I had). On the other hand, whilst it is quite clever, it’s also really twisted in a way that Pinhead himself would be proud of, and that’s the kind of horror I enjoy the most. The atmosphere that the movie creates is really effective in the way it allows the different characters to interact with each other and with the town’s various monsters. The final scene where Alessa comes out of the church’s floor and kills everyone with barbed wire is easily one of the most epic final killing scenes that I have ever seen in a horror movie.

8.) Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai. I have no shame in admitting that I’m a Pokémon nut. I’ve played almost every game from the Game Boy era up until the Nintendo DS, I’ve watched most of the series and own all the movies on DVD. These movies appeal to my inner child who, whilst a little twisted, is very much alive and well and, for me, this is escapism at its best. This is my favourite movie so far that sees Ash, Pikachu and co. trapped in a town that becomes stuck in an alternate dimension whilst Dialga, the Pokémon master of time, and Palkia, the Pokémon master of space, duel it out for control of their respective realms. It’s fluff at its best, but for an hour and a half I get to feel like a complete kid again whenever I watch it 🙂

Book: Gin O’Clock. I have no idea who The Queen (of Twitter) is, but I honestly can’t remember the last time I laughed this hard at a book. Written with an arid dry sense of humour, this is the British Royal Family as you really want to imagine them: the Queen as a very prim and proper alcoholic with dictatorial asperations, Camilla as a chain-smoking drunk, and Charles as the young, aspiring king who only wants a chance to run a few of his mother’s realms. The book’s laid out as a series of diary entries that documents the Queen’s thoughts over the course of a year and the troubles she faces supremely running the Church of England, reigning in the Solomon Islands and playing down the fact that she is still technically the Pharaoh of Egypt. I recommend it to everyone who enjoys a good laugh.

Luxury Item: Couch. The couch is a little worn and definitely seen better days, but there’s that one spot that has perfectly molded to me when I sit down on it, and you just can’t beat comfort like that. If I must be stuck on the island I’d at least like to have a comfortable place to sit and watch the seagulls fly by 🙂

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Thanks again to James for taking the time to join the prestigious Head In A Vice ”castaway” list. If you would like to submit your choices and add your name to this list, please drop me an email to – tysoncarter@hotmail.co.uk

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Posted by Tysoncarter182 on September 3, 2012

https://headinavice.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/the-b-horror-blog-desert-island-films/